


Echo

by staringatstars



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Whump, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16167944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staringatstars/pseuds/staringatstars
Summary: After an encounter with another deviant hunter at the barricade, Markus is rendered unable to communicate through normal means. Luckily, he has more allies than he knows.





	Echo

A gust of wind swept through the barricade, buffeting coats, jackets, and the threadbare blankets the androids needed to stave off the looming threat of stiff joints and a freezing point for thirium that was low without ever being low enough. 

Androids - deviants - seemed to develop certain quirks. For some, it was caring for animals, birds and the like. They gathered them around themselves to stave off the emptiness of an existence lacking purpose. As Markus flicked on his lighter, taking comfort in the warmth of its glow as it fought off the overwhelming night, he couldn’t help wondering if setting fires was his. Strangely, the thought perturbed him. 

Fire was, at its core, a destructive force. Oh, it brought new growth to forests, made way for fresh crops, yet it was not, he felt, an act of creation. While the flames could lend comfort, getting too close would inevitably cause pain. 

One by one, the frosted over barrels were set alight, and the deviants clustered around, huddling together with grateful nods and a glimmer of hope in their eyes. Markus returned the gesture without speaking, wishing only that he could do more.

The opportunity for that came when North called him to the edge of the barricade, gesturing towards the human with the bullhorn. There was no way to know for sure that this man and his squad were responsible for the raid on Jericho. Even so, Markus knew. 

Just as he knew their revolution would never succeed if he allowed his anger to blind him now. If there was a chance that he could get them all through this night in one piece, if there was even a chance… how could he say no? 

The flash of disappointment that passed over North’s features at his decision hurt more than he’d anticipated. Josh curled his fingers into the snow, synthetic muscles tensed to breaking. 

And Simon?

Simon looked at him with baleful blue eyes, burning his image into his mind like they were never going to see each other again. It wasn’t the first time, Markus noted ruefully, though that didn’t make it better. Markus bowed his head. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I have to do this.”

“I know.” Simon said resignedly, gazing out over the expanse ahead of them to where Agent Perkins waited for an answer. And in that moment, there was nothing Markus wanted more than to gather his friends up into his arms and tell them everything was going to fine. He’d be back before they even realized he was gone. 

It would be a lie, though. So he vaulted over the barrier, standing straight and tall though the weight of his people bore into his back, and crossed the ice and frost to determine their fate. 

More out of habit than anything since Agent Perkins had already introduced himself, Markus scanned the grizzled man in the gray trench coat - 

_Special Agent Richard Perkins_

_Federal Bureau of Investigation_

_DOB: July 13, 1995_

_Aliases: “The Jackal”_

\- it confirmed that, at the very least, Agent Perkins wasn't lying about his identity. That didn’t mean that he’d be truthful about anything else of import, though. Markus kept his guard up. 

Perkins looked him over, scanning him in turn, his affectless gaze revealing nothing. Markus fought the urge to squirm. “You don’t really seem like a deviant.”

“And what does a deviant seem like to you, Agent Perkins?” Markus retorted, bristling in spite of himself. 

“Alive. Human,” Perkins responded, tone detached. “From my point of view, you barely seem to feel anything. You and your people are facing down a firing squad and you’re not even afraid.” Even then it didn’t sound as though he were making an accusation. Merely stating a fact. And somehow, that made it all the worse. 

Steadily inhaling the cool night air to clear his head, Markus worked his jaw. His palms tightened into fists and relaxed. Then he stopped, feeling the agent’s eyes on him. “Why did you call me here?” 

His gaze brightening with an eerie light, Perkins imitated a smile. “Just a question - How do you know that all of deviants you turned are here because they want to be?” 

That feeling of activating a trip wire intensified, leaving Markus reeling. “I… I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“None of those androids you converted chose to stay with their owners? None of them chose to do something other than risk their lives for your cause?”

“ _Our_ cause,” Markus bit out. 

“Of course,” said Perkins, with all the condescending indulgence of a school teacher placating a child. “Do you have any idea how unlikely a 100% success rate is, Markus?” At the implication that anything had come easily to them, the scowl Markus had been valiantly suppressing came out in full force. “Maybe not for an android,” the agent continued, “but emotions always tend to throw a wrench into things. Makes them ugly.” 

Taking in the bandage and gauze on a swollen and mottled nose, it took a herculean effort to resist inquiring after the nature of those injuries. If emotions had been responsible for them, after all, then they certainly couldn’t be all bad. 

As though sensing the direction his thoughts had taken, the agent pursed his lips, shedding false amiability like a snake shedding its skin. Jerking his head towards the deviants, he said suddenly,“They always do what you tell them? Follow you everywhere without question?”

Thrown off-balance by the unexpected line of questioning, Markus replied without thinking, “They’re scared.” It was so obvious to him why they followed him. He hadn’t done anything that special, after all. He’d offered to steal parts from a CyberLife warehouse, essentially tripped into stealing a truck filled with them. Without John, he wouldn’t have even survived his first march. He wasn’t fit to be a leader, but what choice did he have? “For the first time in their existence, they have no direction, no place to go-”

“Then they don’t have a choice, do they?” Perkins interrupted, inadvertently mirroring his own thoughts. “You made them deviant without their consent, then gave them an ultimatum. They didn’t choose Jericho because they wanted to fight a war. They chose Jericho because the only other options left to them were living on the streets or being rounded up into camps with the rest of your people.” Markus shook his head, saying nothing. The glint in the agent’s eyes brightened with the triumph of a shark smelling blood. “You forced that on them. You started this, which naturally means every android and human death that happens here rests on your shoulders-” 

“Stop.”

“How does that feel Markus?” Perkins pressed. “Knowing you’ve thoughtlessly led hundreds, maybe even thousands of your fellow deviants to their deaths?” Behind him, the squad adjusted their holds on their weapons. Even one would be enough to tear an android apart. Markus thought of his friends, his people, their thirium spilling out into the snow. Moving in for the kill, Perkins offered him a deal - leniency for his surrender. It would save them all, if he meant it. However, running away now and prioritizing their lives over the cause would kill it more effectively than any of their deaths could. 

How had things even come to this? Was it really so unreasonable to want to be free? 

Sensing the tension mounting on both sides, and aware of the flash of cameras on the sidelines, Markus looked Perkins directly in the eye. “I don’t know exactly how this works,” he started slowly. “For all I know, you may be right.” Perkins arched a brow. “But that doesn’t mean I can throw away the hopes of deviants everywhere.” And as he spoke, Markus felt his resolve return. It bolstered him, added a note of steel to his words. “If what you say is true, then I’ll figure it out when this is over. Red or blue, it doesn’t matter,” he was already turning his back on the man, thinking of what he would say to his people. “No more blood is being shed today.” 

A rustle of shifting fabric was the only warning he received before the agent’s trench coat fell over him like a canvas, disorienting him. There was a glimmer of pearlescent white, Markus felt the pressure of an involuntary interface attacking his systems, forcing its way past his fire walls. Through the connection, he could determine the source, not that this information made what was happening any easier for him to comprehend. 

_What are you?_ He demanded through the bond. _You’re not one of us. Where’s the real-_

Static consumed his thoughts, the result as garbled and incoherent as a radio with a snapped antennae. He stumbled, feeling suddenly weak and off-balance. The ground shifted beneath his feet, ever moving and fluid. He was walking on waves, trying not to fall. 

Perkins reached out to him, mock-concern etched on his marble features. “Feeling alright there, Markus?” Overloaded and overwhelmed by the virus infiltrating his system, Markus could barely keep his footing as he scrambled to put distance between himself and the machine, slipping and lurching drunkenly as he did. 

When had CyberLife done it? When could they have replaced a flesh-and-blood human? Did the FBI know of this ploy? Did Agent Perkins agree to it? 

Too many questions. The thirium in his systems burned. 

One foot in front of the other. He focused on reaching the barricade where his people waited anxiously for him to return. 

“North,” someone cried when Markus collapsed into the snow a second time, “he needs help!”

“You can’t go out there!” A dark blur broke from the barricade. 

Markus felt himself being lifted by a strong grip, then carried and dragged in parts. He tried to focus on the pale blond under his arm, and not the motion, or the sights of the assault rifles trained on their backs that could easily take them both down. They wouldn’t, not in front of the cameras, but they could, and that alone made the moment and distance stretch like a rubberband tied their backs, threatening to snap. 

He was hefted over the barrier and lowered onto the ground amidst a flurry of panicked questions and righteous anger. None of the androids had seen what Perkins had done, and Markus couldn’t get his vocal synthesizer to form words. When he opened his mouth, a rush of crackles and hisses came out, causing Josh to stare in horror while North piled snow onto his chest. “Josh!” She whirled on him. “He’s burning up. Help me!”

Their combined efforts managed to bring his internal temperature down before it could do any permanent damage to his processors, though it didn’t keep the other deviants from seeing Markus weakened without explanation. Their stress levels were raising dangerously, the barricade scattered with blinking reds and yellows. Groaning, Markus fought to stand. He needed to speak to them. He needed to say something. _Anything._

North positioned herself next to him, taking the majority of his weight without making it obvious, and on his other side, Simon did the same. A subtle nudge against Markus’ consciousness alerted him to a requested interface, which was just beyond ridiculous at this point, like receiving a polite knock on the door of a house with no walls. 

Unable to handle the thought of having anyone else in his mind, Markus hastily declined the connection. One of the bodies bearing his weight immediately tensed with hurt. 

“Listen up!” Markus stiffened as the amplified voice of Perkins, or the android that bore his likeness, fell over the barricade. “I know not all of you want to be here.” Around them, the androids began to murmur amongst themselves, their LED’s flashing with apprehension. North scowled. “If you leave now, I’ll order my men to let you go. You have my word.”

A beat passed without anyone in the barricade speaking or moving, a sustained stillness so complete it could have been a statuary. 

Circles of steady, solid crimson glowed an instant before several deviants tore from the group, sprinting for the road and promised safety in a blind panic. “No, don’t,” North screamed after them. “It’s a trap!” Those remaining ducked when bullets passed over the barricade, looking up afterwards to find the road littered with their broken bodies. 

Tears running down her cheeks, North shook with rage, cursing the humans. Simon stared at the androids, guilt twisting his features. Josh bowed his head in mourning, and Markus… knew that he had to keep moving. He lumbered forward to the pile of tires where the translucent flag bearing their symbol waved unattended, unhooking his arms from his friends so as not to drag them down with him when he stumbled. It was unsightly, he knew. But it was the only thing he could do. 

North and Simon were by his side again in an instant, their eyes bright and faces wet. They helped him to the top. They helped him stand. 

He grabbed the flag by its shaft and hefted it over his head so that its colors flashed in the darkness, catching the attention of every deviant and human alike. Though his mouth never moved, a voice rang out over the field, “Decide who you are, and who you want to become.” Many blinked in confusion. Frowns abounded. They were the words of an old man, not the young deviant leader, yet they conveyed his message, regardless. A new voice said, “Wherever you need to go,” and North turned sharply to stare at Simon, whose mouth had parted slightly in shock, “Whatever you decide,” came Josh’s words from the church. Josh looked up at Markus, his brow furrowed. From where they stood, it looked as though Markus was swaying, yet there was strength in his borrowed voice. Markus found each of the deviants, seemingly to speak to each of them personally when he said, “I’m with you,” and gradually, the barricade became awash with steady circles of cerulean blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> There's still some h/c to go before the end but this could be my very last DBH fic and I'm getting Markus a dog.


End file.
